Meet Michael Shostek and Emily Wei, Co-Chairs of the Student Sustainability Association at Penn!
Names: Emily Wei & Michael Shostek
Years: Emily: Wharton ’16 Michael: College ‘15
Majors: Emily: Environmental Policy & OPIM; Michael: Health & Societies (Environment & Health Concentration), Cinema Studies Minor
Emily Wei
Michael Shostek
What is SSAP?
The Student Sustainability Association at Penn (SSAP) is the umbrella organization for environmental and sustainability-related groups on campus. Our mission is to foster collaboration and cohesion between these groups to create a unified student voice on sustainability issues. We currently have 17 constituent groups and work very closely with students as well as faculty, staff, and administrators.
What are your main responsibilities as co-chairs of SSAP?
As co-chairs, we run weekly meetings among our constituent group representatives, facilitate discussion between constituents, and provide outreach and resources to our groups both inside and outside of the SSAP community. If they run into problems, such as declining membership or structural issues, we step in to try and help them get back onto their feet. We also help distribute information about environmental or sustainable events happening on and off-campus. A lot of our energy is devoted to adequately serving as a voice for our constituents and serving as student liaisons to Green Campus Partnership, which consists of three university employees solely committed towards driving sustainability initiatives throughout Penn. Additionally, we represent SSAP at UA Steering, Penn Traditions Alumni Engagement Fund, and University Council meetings.
How do you manage running an enormous umbrella organization like SSAP, and what advice would you give to other highly-committed students?
EW: I would say time management is huge. As leaders of an umbrella group, people from Penn community email us all the time, which is in addition to all the emails our constituent groups already send us, so it’s really easy to feel overwhelmed.
MS: A lot about being a leader in a large university setting has to do with defining what your role is as the voice of the organization. It’s very easy to get lost in your own personal, academic, and social life at Penn, so you really need to be willing to step back, look at the big picture, and become an advocate for everyone in your organization. Additionally, it’s easy to stick with the norm from past co-chairs, and neglect trying something new in order to advance the missions of our groups and engage with more students. One of my biggest qualms is when we overlook supporting a group and including them more into our discussions and events. Molding a unified voice is key in order to be successful. Maybe buy a Time Turner?
Why is sustainability important for students?
EW: Sustainability is important for everyone! No matter where you live and what your background is, degradation of the environment affects all of us, just think back to the horrible polar vortex we had last winter. As future leaders of our society, students play a huge role in shaping our planet’s future. Learning about sustainability isn’t just about recycling and reducing energy consumption, it’s about taking responsibility for maintaining the fragile relationship we have with everything around us and working towards making the world a better place to live in, for all of us.
MS: If you commit 5 minutes of your day to an ecologically conscious decision, you’re making a difference, even though you can’t see the long-term results. At a major Ivy League institution, we can set precedent for what social, political, and cultural concerns shape our generation. Recycle. Go camping or hiking and clear garbage off a trail. Try a sustainable beer. If you haven’t, you’re missing out on simple ways we as world citizens can preserve our planet.
What’s one major change you’d make to campus sustainability efforts if you had the chance?
EW: I would require every Penn student to take at least one class related to sustainability. Penn Green Campus Partnership published a complete list of Penn courses that had some sustainability component to it a couple years ago and there’s actually a surprisingly large number of courses in it. To be more well-rounded and diverse, as I’m sure Penn wants us to be, I think it’s important to have some exposure to sustainability concepts and why it’s important.
MS: I think there needs to be more administrative support in order for sustainability to become part of our campus lifestyle. If freshman year College Houses implement it within their residential life, rather than encourage it as a supplement to their programs, we will see a lot more engagement and awareness on campus throughout the Penn community.
What can students do to lead a more sustainable lifestyle?
EW: There are a lot of things students can do! There are common ones like recycling (which is easy since Penn has single-stream recycling), and unplugging your chargers and appliances once you’re done using them, but there are also some interesting ones that make sense from other non-environmental standpoints too! Filling up a reusable water bottle reduces waste going into landfills. Did you know that using tap water (filtered or not) can actually be safer than drinking bottled water since there is often more regulation for tap water than bottled water? For more tips and info, check out Penn’s Green Living Certification Program!
MS: Be more environmentally conscious of your decisions! Take a shorter shower, unplug your electronics after charging (leaving the plug in the wall creates vampire electricity, which racks up on that off-campus electricity bill), and make smarter purchasing choices. A lot of environmental justice issues are tied into food and clothing production. Purchasing local and/or organic not only provides the consumer with a healthier option, but also supports the local economy and fair wages for workers. It’s a win-win situation!
What does leading a sustainable life look like once students have left campus for the real world?
EW: Even though a lot of us at Penn are far away from home, we’re still coddled by the university in a way. We don’t need to worry about utilities if we live on campus, no one needs to drive to class or work… I think when students leave campus for the real world, leading a sustainable life becomes even more important. Sustainable decisions become even more a part of our daily lives. From a holistic standpoint, I would say, leading a sustainable life as real adults boils down to being able to step back, peer out into the long-term, and make decisions that will benefit us, our children, and result in a livable world like the one we’re lucky enough to have now!
MS: I agree with Emily here. I think college life opens the door to a multitude of life choices for its students, and we start to realize even more how important a sustainable lifestyle is after we’ve graduated. Whether we like it or not, we’re global citizens, and our decisions in Philadelphia impact our fellow citizens and the environment across the world every day.
Keep up with SSAP on Social Media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennStudentSustainability
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssapenn
Instagram: http://instagram.com/greenatpenn
Website: http://www.ssapenn.com
Green Campus Partnership: http://www.upenn.edu/sustainability/